By Alex Dugas
Toronto, Ontario — October 5, 2017 — Pfaff Automotive recently held its “8 Hours of Passion” challenge, where teams of employees from each Pfaff division competed against one another in a budget track-car race. The event was held at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Driver Development Track in Clarington, Ontario.
Each team was responsible for sourcing or choosing their own vehicle, performing the necessary modifications and working on the vehicle together after work hours. The work culminated in an end-of-season 8-hour endurance challenge.
The teams were limited to a budget of $10,000 each, of which only $5,000 could be spent on the car itself. The remaining $5,000 was to be spent on safety equipment and modifications.
Additional rules applied in terms of vehicle specifications. The car needed to be road-legal and able to get to the track itself without being towed. The car needed to pass safety certifications and be deemed track-safe. The car also needed be from one of the Pfaff brands, such as BMW, Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Volkswagen, McLaren, Mazda or Pagani.
Points were attributed on a variety of aspects as well as on the vehicles’ performance. In terms of presentation, points were attributed for appearance, team presentation and employee engagement. Points were also attributed on each team’s lunch presentations since catering and hospitality are part of racing too! In terms of performance, the teams were attributed points on three challenges: Autocross, drag and endurance races.
This year’s winning team was Pfaff Autoworks from Concord, Ontario, with a pink Porsche, inspired by the legendary 1971 Porsche 917-20 “Pink Pig” design. The car is painted like a butcher’s carcass diagram and sports the number 23. Glasurit and BASF sponsored the team’s car.
“I was really impressed with the way Pfaff Automotive dealer groups engaged all of their employees and empowered them to use a budget and all of their skills to compete,” said Brian Busby, Territory Manager, Eastern GTA, BASF-ART. “The age groups were varied and it was nice to see all groups having fun. In my opinion, every team was a winner.”
“This was a nice event and a very cool experience,” said Jeff Pabst, General Manager of Pfaff Autoworks. “It was remarkable to see how each team worked together with such fun and passion. This was a true display of team-work and effort.”
Be sure to check out our gallery below for pictures of the “Pig” in action and the race itself. For more information on Pfaff Automotive, please visit pfaffauto.com.
